Cleanse-Friendly Carrot Ginger Soup

Soups are one of my all-time favorite meals to enjoy pretty much all year round, especially when it’s cold outside. There is something about the warm soup that just feels so good when you are eating it. One of my favorite things about late winter and early spring is all of the lovely roots that are in season, which make particularly yummy soups.

This is one of my go-to recipes during both autumn and winter…and even in the spring and summer—it’s delicious! With a base of carrots and sweet potato, and packed with spices that are sure to nourish and encourage good digestion, you can’t go wrong.

Cleanse season is upon us and this is a great meal that can easily be adjusted to support you during a cleanse, as the simple ingredients and heating spices assist the cleansing process. Make sure to read the note at the end to see what adjustments are needed to make this meal cleanse-friendly.

Ingredients:

• 4 teaspoons sunflower oil or ghee
• ¼ cup chopped red onions
• 5 pieces of broken cinnamon sticks
• 2-pound bag of carrots chopped into big chunks
• 1 sweet potato peeled and chopped
• 2 heaping teaspoons freshly grated or minced ginger
• 2 teaspoon turmeric powder
• 1 ½ teaspoons coriander powder
• 1 ½ teaspoons cumin powder
• 4 teaspoons of your favorite curry powder
• 1 32 ounce carton vegetable stock
• 1 can coconut milk

Directions:

In a large pot or dutch oven, warm the oil or ghee. Add the cinnamon sticks and sauté until you start smelling a nice aroma. Add the red onions, and when the onions start to get a touch translucent, add the ginger and stir until well mixed. Next, add the carrots and sweet potato. Close the lid, and let the steam naturally soften the veggies a little bit. You will want to stir occasionally so that the veggies don’t start burning on the bottom.

When the carrots are almost to the point where you can break them with a wooden spoon, add in the rest of the spices. Mix well and pour in the stock.

Again, close the lid, lower the heat, and bring your soup down to a simmer. I like to simmer the soup for approximately 30–40 minutes so that the spices really have a nice opportunity to steep in the broth.

When your veggies are thoroughly cooked, use an immersion blender to blend everything up. I prefer the immersion blender because it leaves a few chunky pieces, which are nice for texture. But if you don’t have one, a blender will work as well.

Finally, add the can of coconut milk for a nice creaminess. Taste your soup and adjust the spices if needed. Enjoy with a simple salad, some sautéed veggies, or toast.

Bon Appétit!

Note:

If you want to use this recipe during a cleanse, eliminate the onion, and decrease the amount of curry powder from 4 teaspoons to 1 ½. You can increase the coriander and cumin powder, and add some ground black pepper for taste.